Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Moments of support that made a difference

Cancer is one of the toughest things someone can go through. When cancer shows up, the people around us can matter more than ever. Showing someone you care cannot change a cancer diagnosis, but it can help them feel less alone. Yet when cancer shows up, silence can often follow. Loved ones, friends, and colleagues may struggle to find the right words to say. They may worry about saying the wrong thing, asking too many questions, or not knowing how to help. This is something Community members have called Cancer ghosting, and we explore this more in the Cancer ghosting blog . For someone living with cancer, this silence can be difficult too. Many people tell us they do not want to feel like a burden. Talking about their diagnosis or treatment can sometimes feel confusing and overwhelming…

Megan- Online Community Team
It’s National Inclusion Week!

Have you ever felt that your identity, background or the way you experience the world has affected your cancer journey? National Inclusion Week is an opportunity to think about what inclusion means for people affected by cancer. Cancer can affect anyone, but the experience of diagnosis, treatment and recovery isn’t the same for everyone. For some people, their identity or circumstances can bring additional challenges when accessing information, treatment or support. At Macmillan, we want everyone affected by cancer to feel that there is space for them. That’s why Macmillan's Online Community has dedicated spaces where people from different communities can connect with those who understand the challenges they face. Here are three examples: LGBTQIA+ people and cancer Many LGBTQIA…

Emma - Online Community Team
Wenda’s Story. Cancer and Afro hair care after chemotherapy

Image above: Wenda in 2026 Wenda AKA Sonia101 on the Online Community was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. She wrote a short memoir about her cancer journey to help inspire others with breast cancer. The book “Faith over Cancer” focuses on Wenda’s persisting faith in God throughout her cancer treatment, including surgery and chemotherapy. As part of her memoir, Wenda also shares her experiences of losing her afro hair following chemotherapy and afro hair care following regrowth. Wenda told us she found it more difficult to find information about afro hair and cancer treatment. Macmillan want to make sure we offer cancer support relevant to you, whoever you may be. In this Community News Blog, we are sharing excerpts and photos from Wenda’s memoir, sharing her experience of hair loss…

Steph - Online Community Team
Newly diagnosed with cancer? Advice from Macmillan’s Online Community

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can bring overwhelming emotions, uncertainty and many questions. It can be difficult to know what to do or where to turn, especially in those first few days. It can help to hear from people who have been there before. Last month, we asked members of the Online Community what they would say to themselves on the day they were diagnosed with cancer. We wanted to know what words of advice they would offer, anything they wish they had known at the time, and what helped them most during those early days. In this blog, we’ve brought together some of the replies our members shared. We hope their experiences, advice and words of encouragement will help anyone who has recently been diagnosed with cancer feel a little less alone and more prepared. Take things one step…

Dylan - Online Community Team
Coffee Morning with Macmillan's Online Community

September marks Coffee Morning month! While Macmillan’s official Coffee Morning date is 25 of September, you can take part anytime. It’s a chance to come together, share a cuppa and start talking. Here at the O nline C ommunity, we know how important those conversations can be. By sharing experience s, advice and support, members help one another feel listened to and less alone. In this blog, we’ll hear from members about the connections they’ve made and support they’ve received. We’ll show you how you can join conversation s in our forums and find your nearest Coffee Morning. Grab a cuppa and let’s celebrate coming together. Feeling less alone Many members of our community have found comfort and support through our forums. For some it may be the first time they’ve felt able to open up…

Lizzie - Online Community Team
New Autumn/Winter 2026 Dates - Local Cancer Community Meet-ups

As early autumn and winter approach, we're delighted to announce a fresh round of face-to-face meet-ups in more cities than ever. If you're near any of the following locations, read on: Birmingham Bristol Colchester Dagenham Glasgow Lincoln Manchester Preston Rochester Sheffield Swindon Watford Westwood Cross (near Margate) Wolverhampton As always, these in-person events intend to build supportive communities of people local to the areas they're hosted in. To avoid confusing them with our Online Community, we refer to these events as 'Local Cancer Community Meet-ups' in this blog. If you would like to discuss attending this event with other members of the Online Community, please don't forget that our Community Guidelines still apply. The Private Messaging…

Matthew - Online Community Team
Neurodivergence and Cancer: Alison's Story

On being a "pepper pot "carer with cancer. In the Spring of 2016, I was diagnosed with myeloma, a type of blood cancer. I had not heard of this type of cancer. I was told it was incurable but treatable. I was 56. An article I read by someone who is living with blood cancer (and was much younger than myself at the time of their diagnosis) said that their diagnosis felt like their life had been hit by a wrecking ball. For me these words describe perfectly how I felt. The shock was enormous. I had been a carer all my life, from caring for a younger sibling with special needs whilst I was growing up, to working in a caring profession, to caring for my son who is autistic. In my own head, I had never envisaged a time when I would not be able to care for someone who relied on me. The diagnosis…

Emma - Online Community Team
“I did not know the stranger looking back at me from the mirror.” -Renita’s hair loss story

Last month, Community member Renita ( RMD ), shared her story in this blog , of being diagnosed with invasive multifocal ductal and lobular breast cancer. She wrote about the challenges of treatment and how the Macmillan Online Community gave her support, hope and comfort when she needed it most. In this blog, Renita shares her experience of losing her hair during treatment, hoping to help others going through the same thing feel less alone. I thought being diagnosed with multifocal invasive ductal and lobular breast cancer was traumatic. Don't get me wrong, it was, very much so, as was the mastectomy that followed and the various side effects of chemotherapy. Each one seemingly worse than the last. Despite having worn the cold cap during my chemotherapy sessions, enduring the freezing…

Megan- Online Community Team
Cancer during pregnancy: finding support and sharing your story

Note: This content was originally written by Steph - Online Community Team in 2022. To mark World Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2026, it has been updated to include more recent Community content and links to further support information. A cancer diagnosis can be upsetting. If you’re pregnant when diagnosed with cancer it can be even more frightening and confusing. You might feel you need additional support as you receive your cancer diagnosis, navigate treatment options and cancer treatment. The Community is here to support you, in addition to a wide range of help available from Macmillan and other support providers. Members of the Community might also be supporting a loved one with cancer at the same time as going through a pregnancy. Or perhaps you are coping with your own cancer diagnosis…

Matthew - Online Community Team
What were the moments of support that mattered to you?

Cancer is one of the toughest things someone can go through. When cancer shows up, silence often follows. This is something Community members have called Cancer ghosting, and we explore this experience more in the Cancer ghosting blog . People living with cancer tell us they don't want to be a burden but still need emotional and practical support from their loved ones. Sometimes friends, family and colleagues can struggle to find the right words to say and not know how to best support you. What supportive moments made a difference to you? We are asking you what your family and friends have done to show they care and be supportive. Was it stopping by with warm meals? Meeting up with them once a week for a cuppa and a chat about life beyond cancer? Care packages of things to help…

Megan- Online Community Team
"Macmillan’s community becomes my lifeline as in my own community, cancer is still a taboo" -Renita's story

Renita, known as RMD in the Online Community, was diagnosed with invasive multifocal ductal and lobular breast cancer at 48. In this blog, she shares her diagnosis story, the challenges of treatment, and how the Macmillan Online Community became a source of support, hope and reassurance when she needed it most. Cancer was not on my radar until my mum found a lump. In May 2025, during my morning call to my family in India, my sister says, “Now don’t panic but…” “What’s happened?” I cry in full-blown panic, frantically googling flights to India. My mum takes over, calm and unruffled. She is the matriarch of the family, our strength and rock. As usual, just hearing her voice makes me feel better, but what she says has me hyperventilating again. She has found a lump in her breast. It needs…

Megan- Online Community Team
Travel Insurance and Cancer - your questions answered by an expert

The importance of getting the right cover Are you planning on taking a holiday this year? Perhaps you're looking for a little extra summer sun? Or maybe a winter escape for when the weather turns chilly? Whatever you're planning, there are some travel essentials that no holidaymaker should leave home without. Packing the right travel documents, currency, and clothing for your trip is very important. But what about your insurance? Have you checked your travel insurance plan covers your specific holiday itinerary? Does it cover your specific health needs? If you or someone you're traveling with has a cancer diagnosis, it is vital you have the insurance cover to match. Meet Fiona This is Fiona. She loves to travel. Fiona has first-hand experience of what it's like to be impacted by…

Matthew - Online Community Team